The rain!
Two weeks of the stuff and it still hasn't stopped. The sound of the drops hitting the roof of my workshop, the puddles swamping my route to it's door and the insidious damp chill of the space have been unwelcome companions as I've repaired and restored another batch of my ancient figures. If you haven't been following along, these models come from around 2000-2005 (mostly) and were rediscovered in a battled old miniatures case a month or so ago. I've been trying my best to give them a second lease of life.
First up is a squad of marines painted around 2001. These were for a Kill Team game in the Poole GW store that never went ahead. I never got around to adding the banners to these models, and I was tempted to do so but in the end opted to leave them be.
I remember setting myself a challenge of not using any black paint save for bases and iconography. This was in response to practically every other model painted in that store being painted black. Even the orks!
Some more figures from my Witch Hunters army. Here I have the astropath, though he looks a little blurry. Sorry. Again, I wanted to do a 'no black' approach with this figure for some reason. Though I painted this one around 2004 in the front from of a house I lodged in Peterborough. I have clear memories of painting this figure and wasn't sure at the time if the colour scheme worked.
What do reckon dear readers? Hit or miss?
One the other hand these two priests work extremely well colour-wise. The mix of earthy browns give them a 'monky' feel as well as a grassroots vibe. The use of metallics and darker browns give a clean and natural finish to these figures. Spot colours of yellow and red 'pop' the figure at a distance yet match the other tones close up.
I am really pleased with the restoration on these figures as I had to carefully mix up and reapply the cloth brown colours to fix some deep scratches. Big thanks to Ian's paints stash he donated me as I found a couple of sandy shades that were a close enough match to get going. The rest was Bleached Bone and circa 2000s GW brown ink.
Servo skull. Says it all really. A really quick paint this. I found a second one of these models that I started but never finished. Not sure the black pole works with this figure. I'd use wire these days and do a snazzy base to cover much of it. Still, its seems to work well enough when the models are grouped together.
More battle sisters now. These are painted in the same livery as the models I shared a few weeks back. I have another squad of these that need further restoration before I am happy but these are now good to go. The bases still look weak to my eye and, again, I was tempted to repaint them. What do you lot think? Should I keep them the same or give a wash and drybrush to give them a little depth?
I have lovely memories of painting these at my dear departed grandparents house. There was a photo of the younger me working on these in my grandmother's many photo-albums that I may track down one day. You can see some of these figures sitting happily on the table in her old front room.
The greenstuff bases really look obvious on the figure to the far left. Apologies. I think I was trying to create an ashy mud look at the time. But you live and learn in this hobby.
Unless your eyes go, like mine!
And finally. These are a strange bunch of models. Said to be painted by Aly Morrison in the early '80s but he was asked and didn't recognise them as his work. They were supposed to have originated in the design studio but I know nothing about them. I am not even sure if they are Citadel models. They remind me very much of the Warhammer Armies era models I saw in Bryan's collection over the years. Beautiful work on some of those shields whoever the artist was. I've repaired them and reattached them to the bases.
If anyone recognises these figures. I am guessing pre-slotta Citadel. Let me know. They are a part of an era of British wargaming that predates my own and I find them fascinating for that.
Note the hand made arrow sticking out of the red shield figure. Proper old school touch!
Speak soon,
Orlygg
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